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Thrifty bus service is not making the grade for Angelenos on the go to other cities via coach bus. "Maybe, truth be told, we were unable to get them out of their cars," Dale Moser, president of Megabus, told the LA Times about Californians not "warming up" to the service. "Quite frankly, the ridership hasn't been as robust as we'd like. We might just have to discontinue [the service]."
Ridership from Los Angeles on the 56-seat busses were sometimes three-quarters full, but often only carried 12 people with no increase in business in sight. In the Midwest, Megabus saw a 137% increase over the last year.
Earlier this year, the company, which is a subsidiary of Coach USA, stopped service to San Diego and Phoenix, but may stop all service from Los Angeles later this summer. The final decision will be made by Friday. Megabus began service in Los Angeles late last summer offering $1 deals to those who booked the first seats.